How to find out if a down jacket can be washed in a washing machine
Not every down jacket can withstand machine washing. For some models, one such procedure will be enough to hopelessly ruin the item. To find out whether a down jacket can be washed in an automatic washing machine, you need to carefully study the labels on the product:
Machine washing of a down jacket is allowed if it has a conventional image of a basin with water on it.
If such an image exists, but is crossed out by two lines, the product cannot be washed at all, either by hand or in a machine. If such a jacket becomes dirty, it must be dry cleaned.
Some manufacturers place care information in text on the labels instead of symbols (for example, “Machine wash at 30 degrees” or “Dry clean only”).
In order for the item to last a long time and not lose its qualities, the manufacturer’s recommendations must be followed.
If feathers and fluff are noticeably coming out of a down jacket, you cannot wash it in the machine, regardless of the icons on the label.
Lifehacks
To properly wash and dry a down jacket, it is not enough to choose the right washing mode and detergent. There are some useful tips on how to properly wash a down jacket in the washing machine at home and maintain its appearance.
Tennis balls
Quite often, down jackets are washed with tennis balls. If you use this advice, you can prevent the formation of clumps from the litter. This will also make it easier to restore the structure of the jacket after washing.
The disadvantages of this method are that it is difficult to find the balls. Most tennis balls are characterized by bright colors, which are not always of high quality. During the washing process, it can fade and stain the jacket. Use snow-white tennis balls or other alternative accessories.
What is better - washing or surface cleaning?
The answer to this question depends on the actual condition of the down jacket and the manufacturer's instructions. If the item is clean enough and you only need to get rid of a few stains on the fabric, you can get by with local treatment of the stains. There are many recipes for “dry” washing a down jacket using soda, salt, dishwashing detergent and even glass cleaner.
If the clothes are very dirty outside and inside, or smell unpleasant, you need to wash the entire down jacket.
After superficial cleaning of certain areas, detergent stains may appear, as well as color differences between treated and untreated fabric. Machine washing cleans the down jacket evenly.
Should I use conditioner?
Definitely use it, it won't hurt. By using a conditioner, you will get rid of static electricity and promote the volume of the inner layer.
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How to wash a down jacket - choosing a product
You can wash things with down filling only with special detergents. As a rule, these are universal liquid gels that are suitable for hand and machine washing. The label must indicate that the composition is suitable for down jackets.
You cannot use regular gels or powders to wash a down jacket in an automatic washing machine. They spoil the natural filler and leave stains on the fabric.
The right product is half the success. Specialized balms and gels contain substances that preserve the structure and fatty coating of the down and feather filler inside the product. The stores offer a good selection of compositions for washing down jackets in an automatic washing machine.
Detergent for washing down products “ProfKhim”
This inexpensive domestic product has proven itself to be excellent for hand and machine washing of down jackets. The volume of the bottle is 200 ml, it is enough for an average of 3-4 washes. The composition copes with any degree of contamination, preserves the properties of down and the quality of the fabric. The downside is that this washing gel has a rather pungent odor.
Balm for washing sportswear Nordland
Another popular and affordable product for washing down jackets in a machine. The gel is made in Germany. Gently cleans the fabric without damaging the coloring and does not spoil the down filling. Volume – 750 ml, consumption is quite economical. One bottle is enough for 7-10 washes. To avoid streaks, it is important to adhere to the recommended dosage.
The product is suitable not only for winter jackets with bird down and feathers, but also with other fillings.
Salton Sport washing shampoo
Perfect for washing down jackets made of membrane fabric. Preserves the insulating and ventilation properties of the material, carefully cares for the down filling, and eliminates unpleasant odors. Bottle volume – 250 ml. Depending on the degree of contamination of the item and the hardness of the water, it will be enough for 2-4 washes.
Gel Heitmann Daunen-Waschpflege
A reliable and proven composition for washing items with down filling. The product is made in Germany, the bottle volume is 250 ml, the cost is about 400 rubles. One package is enough for 5-6 washes.
This liquid product is suitable for hand and machine washing; it copes well with any stains and retains the properties of fluff. After using the Heitmann gel, the down filler does not even need additional whipping (of course, provided that the other rules are followed - delicate mode, low temperature and gentle spinning).
Gels "Laska"
The products in this line are designed for washing delicate items, so they will not spoil the bird fluff in the cells of a warm jacket. Such gels will help remove minor stains and “refresh” the down jacket, but they may not be able to cope with serious stains. Therefore, before washing, you should pre-treat the dirtiest places with a soft brush and laundry soap.
Domal Sport Fein Fashion
German gel for down products. Inexpensive, but it has proven itself to be excellent - it eliminates unpleasant odors, washes various types of stains and does not spoil the fluff at all. One bottle (750 ml) is enough for about 10 washes. The same product can be used to wash sports shoes and clothes, including those made of membrane fabric. It is also suitable for wool - hats, scarves, socks and mittens will become soft and fluffy.
All products for down jackets are universal, they are suitable for hand and machine washing. However, it is not recommended to use rinse aid and conditioner; they will leave streaks on the fabric.
Preparing a product for washing with your own hands
Before washing your jacket, you need to prepare it. This is the first stage of cleaning and includes the following:
- Detachment of removable parts (edges, hood, lining).
- Fastening all zippers on the product.
- Checking pockets - removing all contents from them.
- Determination of the most dirty areas.
- Choosing household chemicals.
Washing your jacket by hand allows for a gentler cleaning experience than using a washing machine.
Selection of detergent
The difficulty in choosing a detergent is related to the composition of the item and the difficulty of rinsing it. Regular powder is not suitable for jackets, as it often leaves stains and characteristic light stains on the product. They can only be removed with additional cleaning.
One of the best solutions is to use household chemicals that are intended directly for washing down jackets.
The following options may serve as an alternative:
liquid concentrates;- preparations intended for washing wool products;
- powders designed for washing machines (they produce relatively little foam), so they can only be used if there are no other options.
, liquid colorless soap can be used for washing . It is not as effective as special products, but it allows you to clean an item if there are no other options.
If the selected detergent is not intended directly for down jackets, then its amount should be reduced by a third relative to that recommended by the manufacturer.
From stains
Bleaches and stain removers are prohibited . If you need to use bleach for difficult stains, you will have to increase the soaking time of the jacket or wash it several times.
Regular stain removers cannot be used for washing jackets either. Instead, it is recommended to use laundry soap, which is foamed in water before application.
How to properly wash a down jacket in a washing machine
It is convenient and easy to wash a down jacket at home using an automatic washing machine. In this way it is easy to get rid of dirt outside and inside the product, refresh the down and give the item a pleasant smell. However, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for washing a down jacket in a washing machine in advance. Everything matters here. To wash a down jacket in a washing machine without streaks, you need to properly prepare the item, choose the right detergent and choose the right mode. Proper drying is no less important for the result.
Preparing a down jacket for washing
This is a very important step that you need to remember:
- Remove all items from pockets – external, internal, on the sleeves (for some models).
- Unfasten the fur parts of the down jacket, belt, hood, decorative details.
- To avoid damaging the fittings, you can wrap them with tape or cling film.
- The most contaminated areas should be pre-treated with detergent (or laundry soap) using a soft brush and left for 15-20 minutes.
- To machine wash the down jacket, you need to button it up and turn it inside out. This will preserve the integrity of the fabric.
This preparation of the down jacket for washing will protect it from damage and increase the effectiveness of the procedure.
To wash a down jacket, you need to place it “alone” in the washing machine, without mixing it with other things. This will improve the quality of washing, as well as rinsing and spinning.
In what mode should you wash a down jacket?
A down jacket is a delicate thing and requires delicate washing. It’s difficult, but you can wash a down jacket in a washing machine so that the down does not bunch up. To do this, you need to choose the right program. Some models of washing machines have a special washing mode for down jackets. If there is no such program, you need to choose the most gentle method - for example, the “Wool”, “Silk”, “Delicate Wash” mode.
- The water temperature when machine washing down products should not exceed 30-40 degrees.
- The number of revolutions for spinning is minimal.
- Add 1-2 additional rinses to the standard number of rinses (or use the “Super Rinse” program).
When washing a down jacket with down or other filling, you need to follow these recommendations. Then the fabric will not stretch or deform, and the product will retain its original appearance.
Using Balls
To prevent fluff from forming clumps, it is recommended to add 2-4 special laundry balls to the washing machine drum. These can be either tennis balls or rubber or silicone balls (sold in hardware stores). One ball at a time should be placed in the side pockets of the down jacket, and a couple more should simply be thrown into the drum of the machine along with the down jacket before starting the wash. They will have an additional effect on the product, breaking up fluff balls.
Do not use hard plastic laundry balls. They can damage the fabric of the down jacket and even tear it.
How to wash if there are no balls
Practice shows that there is no critical difference in washing a down jacket with or without balls. The “clumping” of down is largely determined by the composition of the filler, the quantity and quality of the detergent, and the mode of the washing machine.
Therefore, subject to all other rules, a down jacket can be safely washed in an automatic washing machine without balls. If the fluff sticks together, it can be fluffed in other ways.
Is it possible to spin a down jacket in the washing machine?
You can and should wring out a down jacket in a machine. The reason is simple - it is almost impossible to wring out such a thing by hand, and if you hang the down jacket, the water will drain for a very long time. In this case, the fabric will be deformed, and the fluff will acquire an unpleasant odor. Machine spinning allows you to speed up the drying of your down jacket and avoid the appearance of stains and mustiness.
The only condition is that the spin speed must be set to the minimum. Typically this figure is around 400 rpm. This is important for both the down jacket and the machine, since the item is heavy and requires careful handling. Spinning at high speeds destroys the structure of the down and breaks the feathers. It is quite possible that after such a load it will no longer be possible to restore the filler.
How to dry?
It is best to dry a hand-washed jacket in an upright position. To do this, hang the down jacket on a trempel in a dry room with good air circulation.
Place a basin on the floor under the wet item or spread an oilcloth to collect the flowing water . You should not lay out a down jacket horizontally to dry it: the item will not dry out.
While drying the down jacket, it should be shaken so that the filler does not clump together. If lumps are found, they must be carefully disassembled by hand, evenly distributing the jacket filling.
It is prohibited to place the jacket during the drying period:
- near fire;
- on the heating radiator;
- in a horizontal position;
- in a damp room;
- under a hot hairdryer;
- under direct sunlight.
If the jacket is dried for a long time or left in a damp room, the item may acquire an unpleasant odor. The defect can be eliminated by re-washing or placing the clothes for good ventilation in the open air.
The product should not be ironed . Most models do not need ironing. If the item looks wrinkled in appearance, you can use vertical steaming when setting the temperature on the iron to no more than 110ºC.
If the product is placed correctly, it will take two days to dry completely.
Additional recommendations
The final quality of washing a down jacket in an automatic washing machine depends on compliance with several conditions. This list includes not only the correct preparation of the product for the procedure, the selection of the appropriate washing mode, but also subsequent drying. To wash down jackets efficiently and safely, you need to follow all the recommendations.
How not to wash a down jacket
To wash a down jacket in a washing machine, you absolutely cannot use simple powder. There are 3 reasons for this:
- Active bleaches and aggressive substances in the composition can damage the color of the fabric.
- The powder is difficult to rinse out of the fluff, so soapy stains remain on things.
- Components that break down fat destroy the protective layer of down and feathers. This leads to their deformation and damage.
For the same reasons, you cannot wash your down jacket with regular washing gel. One such procedure is enough to ruin a thing forever.
It is prohibited to use bleaching compounds for washing down jackets. They will ruin both the down and the fabric of the product.
How to dry it properly
It is important to finish washing a down jacket at home with proper drying (usually the manufacturer prohibits doing this in a machine). Standard recommendations look like this:
- After spinning, the product can either be hung on hangers in a well-ventilated area, or laid out horizontally on a dryer rack (so that air enters from all sides).
- You should not dry your down jacket in the bathroom, because the air in this room is too humid.
- In the cold season, it is useless to dry a warm jacket outside, and in the summer it can be placed in the fresh air, but in a shaded place with good ventilation (Therefore, it is better and easier to wash winter clothes in the summer - they dry faster).
- You cannot dry a down jacket by laying it on a blanket or any “solid” surface. It is important that air reaches the item from all sides, otherwise the drying process may be delayed.
- Due to prolonged drying, the fluff becomes rotten and begins to smell unpleasant, and uneven drying can leave stains and streaks on the surface. The maximum acceptable drying time is 2 days.
- If necessary, you can speed up the process using a hairdryer.
- While drying, the down jacket should be shaken periodically and its position changed (hanged sideways or upside down). This promotes more uniform drying and prevents fluff from caking.
It is strictly forbidden to dry down jackets on radiators or heating devices. This causes stains on the fabric and is harmful to the down.
After drying, it is useful to treat the surface of the down jacket with a water-repellent impregnation (sold in the form of sprays). Such a protective layer will protect the jacket from getting wet in wet weather, from the appearance of streaks and deeply ingrained stains.
What to do if stains appear
If, after drying, stains and streaks still appear on the fabric, you can try to get rid of them. This is not always possible. Stains cannot be removed if they are the result of damage to the fabric and the “paint layer”. This can happen if you choose the wrong detergent (for example, with chlorine), or use the “aggressive” mode of the washing machine.
If stains and stains are caused by excess detergent and poor rinsing, they can be dealt with. To do this you need:
- Wipe the surface of the fabric with a cloth soaked in a solution of dishwashing detergent. Sometimes this simple action is enough to make the stains disappear.
- If this does not help, you can re-immerse the down jacket in the washing machine and rinse the product 1-2 times additionally.
- A more reliable method is to wash again, but using less detergent.
- As a last resort, you can use dry cleaning services, but if the paint is damaged, this will not help.
It is easier to prevent such stains than to get rid of them. The machine will wash a down jacket without streaks if you use only special detergents in the correct dosage.
What to do if the fluff is lost
It is very difficult to wash a down jacket without the fluff bunching up. But if the filler is not spoiled, but simply stuck together in lumps, it can be straightened out. The following methods are used for this:
- Periodically shaking and turning the item while drying. At the same time, the down balls in the cells become looser and dry out better. This must be done after washing the down jacket at home.
- The dried down jacket can be “flapped” with a stick or a carpet flapper. To do this, the jacket (dry!) must be hung on a hanger or laid out on a horizontal surface.
- If this does not help, the lumps of natural filler can be “fluffed” with your hands, pulling them through the fabric into smaller fragments.
- Another way to restore the volume of a winter down jacket is to “vacuum” it. To do this, use a narrow nozzle for carpets. Each cell with down must be treated with an air flow from the inside, from the side of the lining. This method will help distribute the natural filler more evenly throughout the tissue cell.
- The most exotic method is to place the damp jacket in the freezer after washing. After this, the fluff balls will easily break and the filler will return to its original state.
If the down jacket is light, the final condition of the filling can be assessed by looking at the product against the light. If the item is made of very dense or dark fabric, you can check the “fluffiness” only by touch.
How to get rid of unpleasant odor
If after washing the item has a musty or sour smell, there are 3 reasons for this:
- The item was soaked for too long before washing.
- Didn't wash well.
- It took too long to dry, and the fluff inside began to rot and deteriorate.
To get rid of the unpleasant odor, in any case, you will need to re-wash in compliance with all the rules. It is allowed to use conditioner, but in small quantities - literally half a teaspoon will be enough to improve the smell of the item after washing.
To give your down jacket a pleasant aroma, you can add a pinch of salt to the conditioner compartment by dropping a few drops of essential oil on it (salt is needed so that the oil dissolves better in water during rinsing).
There is nothing scary or difficult about washing a down jacket at home; it is enough to follow the rules and adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations. This procedure will not take much time, but at the same time it will save on dry cleaning and bring the down jacket into decent shape. However, if there are serious fears of ruining your favorite item, it is better to entrust it to professionals.
What not to do
It is strictly forbidden to wash in hot water. Do not use powder. No need to pre-soak. Do not spin in an automatic machine at a high number of revolutions (above 600-800).
Consider the color of the top of the product if you wash it with others. Do not add bleach to colored clothing.
Be sure to remove fur parts.
Do not place to dry on a heater or use hot air (hair dryer). And keep in mind that many down jackets cannot be ironed.
Yes, what if you don’t have an automatic machine, but an old “Malyutka”, “Fairy” or another washing machine, don’t even try to wash your down jacket in it.
How to get rid of stains
A short wash in cool water will not rid the down jacket of greasy and stubborn stains. Try scrubbing stains off beforehand.
Wash or try to remove stains with a special gasoline solution (sold in stores), a solution of ammonia and water (1 part 10% ammonia and 1 part water).
Dip a cotton pad into the solution, then test it on the inside of the down jacket and wait a few minutes until it dries. If there are no streaks and the color has not changed, then feel free to work with the stain.
Sometimes after washing, stains remain on the surface. If you notice it right away, rinse it additionally, and if stains appear on dry clothes, shake them off first, then try to remove them with a brush or dry cloth.
If it doesn’t help, try with a damp cloth or immediately wash again with or without additional rinsing.
What to do to prevent the fluff from getting lost
No matter how carefully you wash, the fluff will bunch up. So how to wash a down jacket so that it doesn’t bunch up? You can make your job easier by using laundry balls (just check them and make sure they don't fade or break).
While drying, shake and fluff a little to prevent the fluff and feathers from sticking together. Did you have time to shake?
But it’s important that after it’s completely dry, take half an hour, for example, while sitting in front of the TV, to rub it manually to add fluffiness. Beat each square. Just wash your hands thoroughly to avoid leaving greasy stains.
